Tag Archive | The Maker

It’s been a long time coming, but The Maker is back! Welcome to the world of Shakazhan – again – where our heroes wait for the Kahlea Grand Master to arrive. Though he may not be there yet, he’s got plenty of resources and angry slaves to send their way. As if the threat of interplanetary warfare isn’t enough, they are also getting attacked from inside the planet. It seems that nowhere, and no time, is safe from the Kahlea’s flunkies. It’s Mariah’s first birthday and everyone is relaxed, enjoying the celebration.

The party was in full swing, Happy Birthday was about to be sung and cake served when Wil got the first tingle of trouble. He couldn’t explain how he knew something was wrong, but it was as if he felt a change in the wind. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, getting his full and undivided attention. He could see that several of the Cousins, Marc and Ben all had the same feeling, the look in their eyes unmistakable.

“Get the children inside quickly!” Wil’s voice carried all over the compound. The call was taken up by the other leaders. Mothers ran for their little ones. Older children grabbed the younger and they made their way quickly and quietly to the nearest training hall. Guards were posted and the doors locked tightly.

“They can get out in an emergency, but nothing can get in there, at least I hope not! Hammer!”

“Yes, Wil.”

“Evacuate the children, you see them?”

“Yes, Anvil has already begun. Styx and Quick Silver will also be working at it. Don’t worry about the children.”

“Does anyone see anything? Talk to me!” Comunits popped and crackled with static, something that never happened. “What’s going on? Talk to me!”

Wil ran wildly around the compound checking on the others. Matilda joined him as soon as she was certain the children were taken care of.

The fighters scrambled and the cats prepared to do a swift reconnaissance of the area surrounding them. The foot soldiers and armored divisions took their spots waiting for news.

“Talk to me, Cap!”

“Difficult to see, Wil. There’s an unusual cloud cover. We picked up some life forms in the foothills, but it was cattle, not devils. Dropping below the clouds a wee bit more.”

A few tense moments passed, then Cavitus’ voice broke through the silence. A loud, long caterwaul echoed in Wil’s head.

“I see them! Strange robots to the north-northwest, hundreds of them! Heavily armed, I don’t see energy weapons, but do see projectile weapons. Shall I strafe them?”

“Not yet. If they get within three clix of the compound, open fire.”

“There are more from due west, Wil,” Ariella added.

“I see about a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty to the southeast. Where the hell are they all coming from?” This last from Escascia.

“Defensive positions. I want my Marines in the tanks outside the compound now! Targets of opportunity. Let’s not mess this up!”

Wil and Matilda ran to the nearest training building, climbing the ladder on the outside wall. They took a position on the roof. It was from this vantage point that they first saw the wave of Blue Devils.

“Look!” Matilda pointed beyond the lines of Blue Devils. Something else, bigger, more menacing followed them in a darker cloud against the night. “What are they?”

Wil shook his head. “No idea. Sentience? What’s with them?” No answer. “Sentience, answer me!Dammit! All right, we do this our way, people! Wait until you have a clear target, let them attack first. Give them the opportunity to surrender.” He sighed deeply, “If they don’t, vaporize them.”

Matilda’s gaze held worry and a hint of reprimand, but she couldn’t deny this was an aggressive move on the part of the Chimarria. She made herself ready. Unlike her last battle with the Blue Devils, she was prepared to kill them.

The Lone Wolf series is especially near to my heart because the core three characters of Wil, Matilda and Marc are based (loosely) on three characters friends and I played in an old role playing game, Traveler. It’s sort of like Dungeons and Dragons, only in outer space. The character of Wil wasn’t initially part of the scenario, that was Matilda (also known as Romance) and Marc. Wil came in later and stirred things up.

Originally, I had intended to chronicle our actual game adventures but early on, things took a turn. Instead, Wil swept in, spirited Matilda away and Marc trailed after to cover their backs. I honestly had no intention of them rushing off to save the galaxy, but that’s what happened.

Am I unhappy about that? No, I’m delighted. I feel as if I have done my job as an author correctly if my characters take over and run rampant with my story. I’m not sure who spun things out of control first, but I’m sure it was probably Wil. Okay, I’m sure it was Wil’s fault. He’s a very strong character and decidedly had a mind of his own.

Wil’s motivation was simple: the bad guy needs to be stopped because he made me look foolish. Followed by: the bad guy needs to be stopped because he’s extremely dangerous and has the potential for causing a lot of trouble. Somewhat hedonistic and narcissistic by nature—did I say somewhat? I should have said completely. Completely hedonistic and extremely narcissistic, Wil couldn’t let the villain make him look incompetent. He as a reputation as a legendary badass to maintain. Though there is an element of altruism there, buried deeply under his ego, he probably wouldn’t have cared as much if his reputation wasn’t at stake.

Matilda, on the other hand, sees the big picture. If the bad guy is allowed to continue, everyone is in jeopardy. She cares about Wil’s reputation, but only minimally. Her concern is more what can happen to everyone else if they are unsuccessful.

Marc is there, initially, to protect Matilda and cover Wil’s back. He, like Matilda, is motivated by the greater good. He couldn’t care less about Wil’s reputation, but he counts on the other man’s skills to help save the day. Don’t think that Marc is any kind of a wimp. In his own way, he is as formidable as Wil. His mental games of What If often prove effective in finding a solution.

I had intended to make Lone Wolf a stand alone novel. However, I got to a point where I realized that I had so much story to tell, I needed to split it in two, or I’d have a book about 1,000 pages long. I ended Lone Wolf rather abruptly and picked up the action for Shakazhan immediately after the first one ended.

The Maker picks up after several months have passed. The small fighting force is settling in, doing their best to train themselves into some sort of army. Unfortunately, it becomes readily apparent that there are too few of them to hold out against a concerted attack.

Wil and the others decide that they must contact the people back home and request reinforcements. They also must attempt to make alliances with some of the planets’ residents. This quest is much harder than it first appears, because many of the natives don’t want to be friends.

The Maker is a pivotal book where I introduce several new characters who take key roles later in the series. One, in particular, takes off and becomes a major player in The Kahlea -Book 4. I have to admit, that she is a particular favorite of mine who gave me lots to explore.

I hope you enjoy The Maker, as well as the other books in the Lone Wolf Series: Lone Wolf and Shakazhan.